OFFICIAL: Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions up 41% as landlords quit
Shelter says the Government must hurry up and abolish 'no fault' evictions, as Government figures reveal a sharp rise prompted by landlords leaving, the NRLA says.
Campaigners have renewed their call for an urgent ban on Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions after new Ministry of Justice figures showed a 41% increase.
Data for England shows the number of households evicted by court bailiffs under Section 21 rose to 2,228 households in the second quarter. This total was up from 1,578 in 2022.
Private landlords started 7,491 court claims to evict tenants under Section 21, up 35% in a year.
Compared to the same quarter last year mortgage possession claims (3,986) were up 15%.
Abolish Section 21
The Renters Reform Bill, which is passing through Parliament, will abolish Section 21 evictions, although there is no date yet for this.
Shelter is urging the government to prioritise the bill as soon as Parliament returns from recess in September.
Polly Neate, CEO at Shelter, says: “With private rents reaching record highs and no-fault evictions continuing to rise, hundreds of families risk being thrown into homelessness every day.
“Landlords can too easily use and abuse the current system. Some will hike up the rent and if their tenants can’t pay, they will slap them with a no-fault eviction notice and find others who can,” she says.
The Government needs to rethink its tax hikes on the sector.”
Chris Norris, policy director for the NRLA, says: “The NRLA wants to see every tenancy sustained wherever possible. However, growing numbers of landlords seeking to repossess properties comes at a time when increasing numbers are deciding to sell up and leave the market.
“The best way to prevent repossessions is to ensure landlords have confidence to stay in the market. That is why the Government needs to rethink its tax hikes on the sector and ensure that its Renters (Reform) Bill has the confidence of responsible landlords every bit as much as tenants.”
What an absurd logic Shelter reacts to. A 41% increase in landlords issuing s21 notices hasn’t resulted in those properties now being sat empty. The s21 notices have been given so that the landlord can sell the property and exit the rental market. With an exit from the market there is a reduction in supply, demand relative increases and tenants, as the consumers creating an overheated market, push rents up. What a daft Polly is believing in her little neo Communist world where landlords will be unable to sell their property and forced to house tenants on artificially capped rents. “Oh please Parliament when you come back abolish s21 and remove all grounds a landlord could rely on for possession. Shelter’s a good little organisation that knows best and I’m Polly, you have to listen to me and not anyone else” Polly wake up you are driving the crisis further encouraging landlords sell before they sink, we warned you repeatedly to be careful what you wish for, now your little chickens are coming home to roost!
So landlords are selling their properties due to an ongoing barrage of attacks on profits and rights of eviction on the homes they own but offer to the rental market for clients who need a roof over their heads? The only person not seeing this coming was Polly and her merry band of unicorn believing clowns whilst sipping cups of tea and eating cucumber sandwiches in their lavish homes.
The UK, like any other country, needs rental properties. Yes I agree they need to be a good standard and safe, but we have some of the toughest laws in the world for renting properties.
Instead, why not make it compulsory that tenants look after the properties they occupy, be good tenants and don’t create issues with other neighbours and pay the rent on time? If they did these things then they wouldn’t be evicted.
There is also a government responsibility here too. Days have gone of the huge profits made by landlords on rent, but squeezing this down so that their is no profits at all only means the rents go up.
About time some grown ups got together to work on this issue for everyone’s sake.
Again Phillip says it exactly how it is. How come all us normal people on ground level know this, yet those always on the TV get it so wrong.
What is it with Shelter? cause and action…it’s partly their action that’s the cause of these issues! the more they pressure the government, the more stupid rules they come up with and the more landlords quit. Had they not tried to get the s21 abolished, landlords wouldn’t be quitting again would they. When will it sink in? The less platform shelter has, the better. The issue is SUPPLY!, encourage good landlords not make it horrible for them.. socialists won’t get it I’m sure, but then that’s the PRS has got worse not better.
Exactly. U say it perfectly. Will they listen….
When will Shelter wake up? Landlords are getting rid & reducing supply because of EXACTLY the things you calling for. If you get your own way, you will have less houses=More expensive rent=More homeless.
Leave Landlords alone-More supply=Rents come down.
We not a charity Polly. U need a Council for what u want. If u haven’t got that, then unfortunately for u, u NEED Landlords. Every time u talk, u make more tenants homeless as Landlords sell. U creating a Wild West for tenants competing for Landlords houses. If you left Landlords alone, Landlords would then have to fight in their own Wild West competing for tenants.
A Landlord gets what he can for his house. Let’s make rents cheaper by increasing supply.